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This famous valley is one of the most important attractions in Cuba, due to the fantastic beauty of its landscapes. The main unique element in its landscape is the Mogotes, which stand out inside of the valley as Limestone Mountains with an altitude between 140 and 400 meters. The mogotes combined with the tobacco plantations and the rural houses create the peculiar view that has made this place to become one of the UNESCO’s Natural Humanity Landscape.

Viñales gives a special opportunity for those who love hiking activities, and it has some of the most beautiful and large caves in Latin America. Among these caves is “La Cueva de Santo Tomas” with 45 kilometres of galleries, considered one of the largest in the continent.

This beautiful Valley has a rich flora and fauna with some species that are exclusive of this region. According to experts, the valley's flora is closely linked to its ancient past, since it holds 17 endemic varieties, including the cork palm (Microcycas calocoma), which is considered a living fossil from the Jurassic period.

The first people who lived in this area were a group of Cuban aborigines, before the Spanish conquest, so the area has 19 archaeological sites in which you can get the exclusive opportunity to appreciate original pictography made by the aborigine Cuban population.

Because of the natural characteristics of the area, the caves located in the valley were used for the African slaves that managed to escape from the plantations hard work. These fugitive slaves were known as Cimarrones and they lived hidden in caves or remote places inside of the mountains, where it was difficult to find them. Today you can personally see how Cimarrones lived, visiting the 28 Cimarron’s archaeological sites in the Valley.

At the heart of the valley you can find Viñales village, a typical local settlement perfect to use as a hub, staying at a private accommodation if you decide to spend some days on the Valley.

Main sites to visit in Viñales National Park:
Mural de la Prehistoria.
Cueva del Indio.
Cueva de San Miguel.
Los acuaticos.

Recommended:

Yes

Getting there and moving around:

If you are just interested in a day tour to visit this region, there are excursions that can be booked with agencies at most of the hotels in Havana.

If you want to experience a bit more and stay some days there, there are daily buses from Havana which belongs to a company called Viazul.
But instead if you prefer to have full flexibility and explore as much as possible the area, we do recommend renting a car.

The National park has Hop on Hop off buses from 09:00 to 16:50 that travel to the main attractions on the area (18 stops) at the cost of 5 CUC for a day ticket. The bus journey starts at the main park in Viñales village.

There are also possibilities to use state-owned and private local taxis to move to different spots in the Province. In this case, our tip is to be aware and agree a price in advance.